Journal Article
Potential historically intertropical stable areas during the Late Quaternary of South America
Mário André Trindade Dantas; Thais Rabito Pansani; Lidiane Asevedo; Thaísa Araújo; Lucas de Melo França; Wilcilene Santos de Aragão; Franciely da Silva Santos; Elisa Cravo; Felipe Rodrigues Waldherr; Celso Lira Ximenes
Journal of Quaternary Science · Vol. 39, Issue 8 · pp. 1154-1159 · 2024
Abstract
South America is a pivotal paleontological setting for Late Quaternary megafaunal research. Nonetheless, its paleobiogeography and paleoecology, and the causes for the recent extinction of megafauna in the Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene are not yet fully understood. This study aimed to investigate the potential geographical distribution and historically intertropical stable areas (HISAs) of South American megafauna. We generated maps using Paleo‐Species Distribution Models for 12 megafaunal taxa (11 herbivores and one carnivore) during interglacial and glacial periods in the Late Quaternary: 120 and 21 ka. Our models, together with isotopic data, show that the HSIAs occurred mainly in low‐altitude plains (